It seems that the sequel to 2018’s soft reboot of the God of War franchise is in the works, which isn’t surprising considering how successful it was. But, interestingly enough, the game was almost a different beast at various stages of development as the game’s lead father and son protagonists were both nearly cut at different points.
Games go through a lot of change in development, so the fact that the game went through its own bit of alterations isn’t surprising, but as revealed by the game’s Director Cory Balrog in talking with Gamelab, it was even more so in God of War‘s case as many thought Kratos wasn’t needed for the new game and, in fact, would be a determent to the narrative. They felt they needed to craft a new character considering the baggage.
“Early in discussion, people were saying we had to get rid of Kratos,” Barlog said. “It was like, ‘he’s annoying, he’s done’.”
“They really did not like the character. They wanted a new character,” he continued said. “It took a lot of convincing to make them think it was a good idea.”
Of course, the Kratos of God of War 2018 is radically different than how the character left in God of War 3, but still, it’s interesting to think about a game without him.
But that wasn’t all. Kratos’ family couldn’t catch a break as his son, Atreus, was also one many were against when the decision to keep Kratos was solidified. It was less because of narrative reasons, and more that people were afraid his inclusion would turn the game into one big escort mission and would alienate players.
Balrog fought for both and, as you know, both made it in. Considering the story heavily ties into the theme of parenthood, it’s incredibly interesting to think that both father and son were being considered to be shelved at different stages of development.
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